The Impact of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts on the Biology and Progression of Colorectal Carcinomas.

(1) Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are major components of CRC's tumour microenvironment (TME), but their biological background and interplay with the TME remain poorly understood. This study investigates CAF biology and its impact on CRC progression. (2) The cohort comprises 155 cases, including CRC, with diverse localizations, adenomas, inflammations, and controls. Digital gene expression analysis examines genes associated with signalling pathways (MAPK, PI3K/Akt, TGF-ß, WNT, p53), while next-generation sequencing (NGS) determines CRC mutational profiles. Immunohistochemical FAP scoring assesses CAF density and activity. (3) FAP expression is found in 81 of 150 samples, prevalent in CRC (98.4%), adenomas (27.5%), and inflammatory disease (38.9%). Several key genes show significant associations with FAP-positive fibroblasts. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) highlights PI3K and MAPK pathway enrichment alongside the activation of immune response pathways like natural killer (NK)-cell-mediated cytotoxicity via CAFs. (4) The findings suggest an interplay between CAFs and cancer cells, influencing growth, invasiveness, angiogenesis, and immunogenicity. Notably, TGF-ß, CDKs, and the Wnt pathway are affected. In conclusion, CAFs play a significant role in CRC and impact the TME throughout development.

Transcriptome-Wide Gene Expression Profiles from FFPE Materials Based on a Nuclease Protection Assay Reveals Significantly Different Patterns between Synovial Sarcomas and Morphologic Mimickers.

BACKGROUND: Transcriptome profiling provides large data on tumor biology, which is particularly valuable in translational research and is becoming more and more important for clinical decision-making as well. RNA sequencing is considered to be the gold standard for this. However, FFPE material, as the most available material in routine pathology, has been an undefeatable obstacle for RNAseq. Extraction-free nuclease protection assays have the potential to be a reliable alternative method for large-scale expression profiling. The aim of this study was to validate and test the basic feasibility, technical applicability robustness, and reliability of the HTG transcriptome profiling (HTP) assay on clinical tumor samples. METHODS: FFPE samples from 44 synovial sarcomas (SyS) and 20 spindle cell sarcomas (SpcS) were used. The HTP assay was performed on 10 µm thin FFPE slides. After nuclease protection in the HTG Edge Seq System, libraries were generated for sequencing on an Illumina NextSeq 500 platform. Fastq data were parsed and then analyzed by using the HTG analysis platform EdgeSeq REVEAL. Immunohistochemistry was performed to validate the expression of TLE1. RESULTS: The technical application of the HTP Panel revealed robust and reliable results with 62 samples, and only 2 samples failed due to an incomplete digestion of gDNA. The analysis, performed at the analysis platform REVEAL, showed 5964 genes being significantly differentially expressed between SpcS and SyS. In particular, overexpression of the known marker TLE1 in synovial sarcoma could be recovered, which underlines the reliability of this system. DISCUSSION: Transcriptome profiling gets more and more important for tumor research and diagnostics. Among other established technologies, the HTP Panel has shown to be a feasible method to get robust and reliable results. Thereby, this method needs very few sample-input by getting a success-rate of 96.88%, which indicates the upper average range, compared to other technologies working with FFPE tissue. CONCLUSION: The nuclease protection assay-based HTP Panel is a feasible method for adequate transcriptome profiling with low sample input and therefore is suitable for further research of biomarkers.

Altered heparan sulfate structure in Glce(-/-) mice leads to increased Hedgehog signaling in endochondral bones.

One of the key regulators of endochondral ossification is Indian hedgehog (Ihh), which acts as a long-range morphogen in the developing skeletal elements. Previous studies have shown that the distribution and signaling activity of Ihh is regulated by the concentration of the extracellular glycosaminoglycan heparan sulfate (HS). An essential step during biosynthesis of HS is the epimerization of D-glucuronic to L-iduronic acid by the enzyme glucuronyl C5-epimerase (Hsepi or Glce). Here we have investigated chondrocyte differentiation in Glce deficient mice and found increased regions of proliferating chondrocytes accompanied by a delayed onset of hypertrophic differentiation. In addition, we observed increased expression levels of the Ihh target genes Patched1 (Ptch1) and Parathyroid hormone related peptide (Pthrp; Parathyroid hormone like hormone (Pthlh)) indicating elevated Ihh signaling. We further show that Ihh binds with reduced affinity to HS isolated from Glce(-/-) mice. Together our results strongly indicate that not only the level, but also the structure of HS is critical in regulating the distribution and signaling activity of Ihh in chondrocytes.

Inactivation of anoctamin-6/Tmem16f, a regulator of phosphatidylserine scrambling in osteoblasts, leads to decreased mineral deposition in skeletal tissues.

During vertebrate skeletal development, osteoblasts produce a mineralized bone matrix by deposition of hydroxyapatite crystals in the extracellular matrix. Anoctamin6/Tmem16F (Ano6) belongs to a conserved family of transmembrane proteins with chloride channel properties. In addition, Ano6 has been linked to phosphatidylserine (PS) scrambling in the plasma membrane. During skeletogenesis, Ano6 mRNA is expressed in differentiating and mature osteoblasts. Deletion of Ano6 in mice results in reduced skeleton size and skeletal deformities. Molecular analysis revealed that chondrocyte and osteoblast differentiation are not disturbed. However, mutant mice display increased regions of nonmineralized, Ibsp-expressing osteoblasts in the periosteum during embryonic development and increased areas of uncalcified osteoid postnatally. In primary Ano6(-/-) osteoblasts, mineralization is delayed, indicating a cell autonomous function of Ano6. Furthermore, we demonstrate that calcium-dependent PS scrambling is impaired in osteoblasts. Our study is the first to our knowledge to reveal the requirement of Ano6 in PS scrambling in osteoblasts, supporting a function of PS exposure in the deposition of hydroxyapatite.

Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 regulate chondrocyte differentiation upstream of Runx2 and Shox2 in mice.

During limb development, posterior Hox genes of the Hoxa- and Hoxd cluster provide positional information along the limb axis. Here we report a new function for Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 in regulating the early steps of chondrocyte differentiation. We analyzed forelimbs of Hoxa11(-/-);d11(-/-) and Ulnaless mice, which are characterized by specifically shortened zeugopods. By detailed morphological and molecular analyses, we show that loss of Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 in the ulna of both mutants leads to an arrest of chondrocyte differentiation at a step before the separation into round and columnar cells takes place. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Hoxa11 and Hoxd11 act upstream of Runx2 and Shox2, two key regulators of chondrocyte differentiation. We hypothesize that Runx2 activates Shox2 in early chondrocytes, which at later stages induces Runx2 expression to regulate hypertrophic differentiation. These results give insight into mechanisms by which positional information might be translated into a specific bone pattern.